


be in my eyes, be in my heart

by ccujo



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kinda, Nothing explicit, Pre-Relationship, Tags to be added, in the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccujo/pseuds/ccujo
Summary: Kara, Luther, and Alice are finally free. Free to be together, free to be a family. Now they must learn what a family truly is as they begin to build their new lives together.A series of drabbles surrounding these three as a family. Will contain Kara/Luther as a ship as well as plenty of fluffy stuff.





	be in my eyes, be in my heart

 

                Androids didn’t need sleep.

                Not strictly, at least. Alice slept every night. She was a child model, and CyberLife had ensured that they could do everything a human child did. Now that Kara let herself accept the truth ( _she’d been blinding herself on purpose—scared of a truth that didn’t matter_ ) she knew they could change it. Adjust Alice’s sleeping, so that she could stop if she wanted—but she didn’t want them too. She felt safe, she said, curled up between Kara and Luther. She liked being able to drift off.

                Kara and Luther were different. They weren’t designed to be nearly as humanoid as the child models. Instead, they could resist sleep. They could stay up all night if they wanted, doing anything and everything they wanted. Sleep was possible, of course. That way they weren’t active throughout the night while the humans who purchased them slept. But it wasn’t necessary.

                It was when Alice slept that Kara allowed herself to fall into the quiet of her mind. She and Luther usually switched—every other night one of them would sleep and the other would stay up and keep watch. It wasn’t necessary—they were safe. Finally, beautifully safe. But old habits die hard.

                The sleeping was nice. Letting herself sleep meant that she was finally safe. Safe from those who would hurt her, who would hurt Alice. Safe enough to be completely vulnerable. Sleep was refreshing—just like how it worked for humans, she assumed. It rested the body, refreshed her systems. Plus she liked how it felt, curled up with Luther and Alice. Comfortable, cozy. Safe.

                Androids didn’t need sleep.

                But that didn’t stop them from having nightmares.

                The first time it happened, they had been at Rose’s brother’s house. Fresh across the border, they were terrified and exhausted. Bill, Rose’s brother, welcomed them with open arms. He helped Rose save countless androids. He must have been afraid, but he didn’t let that on. Instead he had smiled, made them hot coca, asked for their story.

                That first night flew by. Time passed and they all ended up staying awake far later than they should have. Kara remembered how wired she’d felt—like every sensor and nerve in her body had been electrocuted. The feeling of freedom was almost like a high. Kara had poured out her and Alice’s story to Bill, glad to talk to a friendly face. Jerry had shared his with a sense of elation. Luther was more subdued, sad; he glossed over the darker details, sharing what little he remembered of his life before.

                Kara was thankful for that. None of them needed to dwell on that house of horror.

                Before Kara knew it, the sky beyond the windows was growing light. Bill apologized for keeping them up. Kara and Luther nearly stepped over one another telling him there was no need to apologize. He’d saved them. He offered them two rooms—one for Jerry and Luther to split, the other for Kara and Alice.

                Kara glanced at Luther only to find his eyes already searching to meet hers. Her chest tightened when she realized their thoughts were already the same.

                “I think the three of us will share,” Luther replied evenly, his calming voice washing over the room.

                Bill just smiled and agreed, leading them towards their accommodations.

                Thankfully the bed in the room was big enough for the three of them. They got Alice situated and took their places on either side of her. Kara curled on her side, brushing a loose strand of hair from the girl’s forehead. She caught Luther’s eyes over Alice’s head. She couldn’t help but smile at the softness she saw there.

                “You can rest, Kara,” the way he said her name was like a song, “I’ll watch out for us. We’re safe now.”

                She wasn’t sure if she even could. The past week had seen so much stress, so much tension. She wasn’t sure she knew how to _stop_ being on high-alert.

                Safety—true safety—made all the difference. Kara knew that finally they were in a place where nobody could hurt them. Even if the worst happened, Luther would protect them. As the minutes flew by she felt her body relax. She fell into the comfort of the situation. Her eyes drooped down as she listened to the soothing combination of Alice and Luther’s breathing. It was better than any music. The two people she loved were safe, were protected. They never had to be afraid again.

                So she drifted. Her mind wandered, her body relaxed. Her thoughts flew, floating all over the place. She fell into the comfort of sleep. Fleeting dreams of their future danced across her mind. Alice in school. Making friends. Perhaps she’d get a job—or Luther might. Maybe both. They’d figure it out. They would take Alice to the zoo, to the park.

                Kara smiled softly. She was reassured by the thought of it all.

                But then things changed. Her thoughts went back, back to her own memories. She remembered opening her eyes for the first time. Well, not the _first_ time. She knew she’d been reset, her memories erased. It was an uncomfortable thought. She knew what Todd had done to her, however, so it didn’t bother her too badly. She remembered Alice confiding her, showing her the little box of secrets she kept in her room.

                And then there was Todd. Yelling, shouting, hitting Todd.

                It was like she was in the moment again. Todd crashing through the house, bellowing as he tried to find Alice. Kara frozen—she was programmed to follow orders, to obey. She couldn’t move to defend Alice. She had to defend Alice. An emotion coursed through her, the first one she remembers ever truly feeling. Pure terror. Kara broke through in reality, but in this strange memory-dream, she couldn’t. She remained frozen, fighting and screaming on the inside but stuck in place.

                She heard Alice scream as Todd broke through the door.

                “No!” Kara shouted, sitting up so quickly her head spun.

                “Kara?”

                Luther was staring at her, eyes wide with fear. The pump in her chest was working so hard it hurt. She glanced wildly down at Alice. Thankfully she had slept through the outburst.

                Seconds passed before Kara could relax. Luther stretched his arm out, brushed her face with the back of a hand. It was a surprising gesture, but a soothing one. It steadied her chest, calmed her nerves. Kara exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

                Neither of them slept again that night. They talked in hushed whispers—Kara told him about Alice, about Todd; Luther told her about Zlatko, about the horrors he saw there. Soon enough the past was in the past once again, and Kara felt better. Safe once again.

                Eventually time passed. Rose and Adam arrived with the other androids they’d helped, and room in Bill’s house grew scarce. The company was nice. It felt good to be around others, to share the overwhelming sense of freedom that soared through the house. It was like something alive, something joyful and lovely. Still, a part of Kara yearned for the privacy that she’d grown accustomed to.

                Bill and Rose helped them find an apartment. It had to be done—there just wasn’t room at Bill’s anymore. Though Kara was grateful and was glad to have such good friends, she was secretly a bit relieved. It was what she’d wanted for so long now. To create a life, just her and Alice and Luther. To build a world together.

                They moved in and started anew. Enrolled Alice in school, thanks to Rose’s help. Kara found a job at a local daycare center—something to do while Alice was in school. Luther helped out at the animal shelter. He liked animals, he said—they were so different from anything he’d experienced before. The three of them were happy.

                Alice had her own room. There was only one other bedroom. When they moved in, Luther offered to sleep on the couch, so that Kara could have a space to herself. The thought made Kara’s chest tighten. What would she do, alone in a room? It was a terrifying notion. So she shook her head and looked Luther straight in the eye.

                “I’d rather share.”

                His smile was like sunshine.

                It ended up not really mattering, because Alice slept in the room with them every night anyway. She didn’t like being alone, either. So the three of them shared the big bed in the center of the room. It fit them just fine.

                Kara wasn’t the only one who had nightmares. Luther and Alice both did, too. When Alice had nightmares Kara and Luther would wrap her in hugs. They’d hold her close, the three of them huddled tightly together on the bed. Luther would sing, on those nights. He didn’t sing often—Kara thought he was shy about it—but he’d do anything for Alice.

                Luther’s nightmares were different. He’d wake up, thrashing and screaming. It was usually enough to wake Alice. It was those nights that she’d usually go to sleep in her room. Kara would excuse herself, tuck Alice in. Sit with her until she drifted off again. And then Kara would return to Luther.

                Kara couldn’t blame him for any of it. She remembered Zlatko’s house, the horrors she witnessed there. Luther had been there for far, far longer. Worse, he’d been forced to assist. She knew he still blamed himself for it—she told him again and again that it wasn’t his fault, that his programming trapped him. It wasn’t enough.

                When he had his nightmares, Kara would wrap her arms around him. When they sat close like that, without Alice, things were…different. She couldn’t explain it, she didn’t have the words. But when she held Luther as he cried and clung to her, she felt a tugging in her chest. A longing. They usually stayed like that until they fell asleep—Kara’s arms around him, his head pressed gently against her chest.

                She usually woke up before him. Sat still, completely unwilling to move. It was easy to relish in the sweetness of it all. Luther felt steadying in her arms. Like finding solid ground after treading water for so long. He was soft and slightly warm, pressed tight against her body. His breath was cool against her skin. Sometimes Kara would lift a hand, gently stroke his head. The texture of his hair was a marvel beneath her fingers.

                Luther would always wake up, eventually. Once his eyes flickered open and he found her like that—arms around him, fingers stroking his hair. His smile was so bright and wide that it made her chest ache for a moment. His arms snaked around her, pulling her even closer. She hadn’t thought it was possible. Their bodies were so close that Kara could feel the pump working in his chest. Her breath caught as she stared into Luther's eyes.

                Kara had never felt more alive than in that moment. The world seemed to freeze.

                Before she could say anything, Alice burst into the room. It didn’t break the sweet moment—instead, it added to it. She wormed her way onto the bed, slipping her way in between them. Kara laughed and scooted over to make enough room for all of them. Alice beamed and grabbed both of their hands, squeezing. It was the perfect moment.

                Sleep brought about the nightmares. The horrors of their past brought back into the present. It was awful to suffer them, awful to be forced into those moments that Kara would much rather forget.

                But the moments after the nightmares…

                She cherished them.

                Kara never felt more like a family than in those moments. It was comforting and safe, being so closed to the ones she loved. The nightmares were horrible—they made her throat clench and her pump accelerate. Brought her back to hell. Kara would do anything to get rid of them. If not for herself, she wished she could get rid of Alice’s. Of Luther’s. But sleep brought nightmares, and none of them were willing to stop sleeping.

                And when they were together, things were better. Luther would sing, or Kara would tell a story. They’d curl together, so warm and protected that it seemed that their pasts had never happened at all. Those were only nightmares. This was reality. They were together, they were safe. They were happy.

                It almost made the nightmares worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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